Newbie needs suggestions please...

I am digital clueless and need help buying a digital camera for a first
time user. I do not have a "real computer", only a WEBTV . After reading
consumer reports and reviews on epinions I think a Canon Powershot A520
would be a good starter camera for me. I then read this group and it led
me to "Green Batteries" for a charger with 4 Mah 2400 AA batteries etc.
for under $35.00. I don't quite get the memory card thing, the camera
comes with a 16 mb sd card (if I remember correctly) I would appreciate
any input on any items I should consider to just take point and shoot
type pictures on an upcoming vacation??!! I will most likely use a
Walgreen kiosk to make prints. Can they also make a DVD of my photos of
my trip that can be viewed on my TV?

TIA
Terry....Seattle

Hi Terry,

The card that comes with the camera is just too small to use. It will only
hold 6 or 7 pictures. Get at least a 128MB SD card, but bigger will be
better. Each picture will be about 2 MB, so you can caluclate how many
pictures will fit on the card.

I couldn't find out if Wallgreens will be able to create a CD or DVD for
you. Best would be to ask.

While you don't really need a computer, you'll be able to get a lot more out
of your camera if you had one.

Gadi


"Terry" wrote in message
...
I am digital clueless and need help buying a digital camera for a first
time user. I do not have a "real computer", only a WEBTV . After reading
consumer reports and reviews on epinions I think a Canon Powershot A520
would be a good starter camera for me. I then read this group and it led
me to "Green Batteries" for a charger with 4 Mah 2400 AA batteries etc.
for under $35.00. I don't quite get the memory card thing, the camera
comes with a 16 mb sd card (if I remember correctly) I would appreciate
any input on any items I should consider to just take point and shoot
type pictures on an upcoming vacation??!! I will most likely use a
Walgreen kiosk to make prints. Can they also make a DVD of my photos of
my trip that can be viewed on my TV?

TIA
Terry....Seattle

Terry wrote:
I am digital clueless and need help buying a digital camera for a first
time user. I do not have a "real computer", only a WEBTV . After reading
consumer reports and reviews on epinions I think a Canon Powershot A520
would be a good starter camera for me. I then read this group and it led
me to "Green Batteries" for a charger with 4 Mah 2400 AA batteries etc.
for under $35.00. I don't quite get the memory card thing, the camera
comes with a 16 mb sd card (if I remember correctly) I would appreciate
any input on any items I should consider to just take point and shoot
type pictures on an upcoming vacation??!! I will most likely use a
Walgreen kiosk to make prints. Can they also make a DVD of my photos of
my trip that can be viewed on my TV?

TIA
Terry....Seattle

Yes. The Canon A 520 is an excellent choice for an entry level camera.
I don't know much about the Green Batteries and Charger but it is a
little pricey at $35.
Many folks in this newsgroups like and trust products from Thomas
Distributing Co. See their offering for $30
http://www.thomas-distributing.com/m...ry-charger.htm
I would recommend that you get a 256 MB memory card.
16 MB is just a starter card to show how the camera works. It is not a
serious working card. NewEgg is a good source for memory cards.
Here is a killer deal on a Corsair 256 MB Secure Digital card for $14
after rebate!!!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820233002
I don't know about Walgreens but Costco or WalMart can print your images
real cheap and can put your images on a CD (which will play on your TV
set with any modern DVD player),for a slight extra fee.
Go for it.
Bob Williams

Terry wrote:
I am digital clueless and need help buying a digital camera for a first
time user. I do not have a "real computer", only a WEBTV . After reading
consumer reports and reviews on epinions I think a Canon Powershot A520
would be a good starter camera for me. I then read this group and it led
me to "Green Batteries" for a charger with 4 Mah 2400 AA batteries etc.
for under $35.00. I don't quite get the memory card thing, the camera
comes with a 16 mb sd card (if I remember correctly) I would appreciate
any input on any items I should consider to just take point and shoot
type pictures on an upcoming vacation??!! I will most likely use a
Walgreen kiosk to make prints. Can they also make a DVD of my photos of
my trip that can be viewed on my TV?

TIA
Terry....Seattle

I just spent a couple of months shopping for my first digital camera.
(I knew I had a check coming in about the first of Oct). I did pretty
exhaustive research since I had lots of time. I looked up every review
I could online, and compared photos from each of the cameras I
considered. My number one criteria was overall picture quality, then
flexibility. I had a budget of $200 for the camera, $100 for batteries
and charger, memory card and case.
I bought the A520. Been very happy with it. I also got the fancy Maha
charger and 8 batteries because I didn't want to worry about having
enough batteries or about overcharging or charging in sets. (Four
separate charging circuits) It cost me about $60 with shipping. You may
not want to go that fancy.
I was cautioned against buying offbrand memory cards. Yes, they are
cheaper. And yes, they are far more likely to give you trouble down the
road. Are there perfectly happy customers like above with them? Yes.
The lucky ones. Just depends on how willing you are to risk your pix.
I'm sticking with SanDisk and Lexar. I know one of those cheap cards
will go out on me the day I take the greatest shots I've ever done!
I also bought a card reader, went cheap there, about $15. No big deal.
And a case.
Hope you're as happy with your A520 as I am with mine. Even my oldest
son, who is a professional photojournalist, was impressed with the
picture quality. It's a great little camera, very versatile.
Hope this helps in your world.

Thanks to Gadi, Bob and Salgud for your helpful answers regarding the
Canon A520..
BTW ... What is a memory card reader and what is it used for?

Terry

Terry wrote:
Thanks to Gadi, Bob and Salgud for your helpful answers regarding the
Canon A520..
BTW ... What is a memory card reader and what is it used for?

Terry

A memory card reader is used to download your memory card to your
computer. It plugs directly into a USB port, just like your camera. In
most cases, you can use your camera to download directly. The
advantages of using a card reader a
1. Your camera is not tied up while you're downloading.
2. Downloads much faster from the memory card than the camera.
3. Saves camera battery power (downloading uses a lot).

Card readers run about $10 to $30, depending on how fancy you want to
get.